Destination Bliss Volume 5 | Page 56

WHAT A I WISH I WOULD’VE KNOWN sking friends and family for advice is how many couples get through the planning process of their wedding, but they don’t always have the answers! So we set out to ask some of our brides and grooms for their best advice on “what they wish they would have known.” After all, hindsight is always 20/20! Read on for (anonymous) insights from brides and grooms who have been through the wedding-planning process and lived to tell the tale. • I wish I wouldn’t have stressed so much about the ceremony beforehand, as my wedding planner at the resort had it all figured out. • The weather was really warm and our groomsmen were sweating it out in their full suits and were miserable. I would have opted for something that was still wedding appropriate but not as formal. by Carrie Brandt • I wish we would have taken more time off after the wedding to have a longer honeymoon. • Our family was skeptical about a destination wedding, but once they arrived at the resort and saw what we saw, their worries quickly faded. Give them as much information up front as possible to help calm their worries. • I would have used an online wedding website or printed checklist to stay organized, as there is so much to keep track of. • Make sure there is a plan B for weather or vendors, as you can’t control everything. • Don’t be that couple who plans every second of the wedding day. Have some downtime built in to your schedule to relax and connect with your wedding party before and after the ceremony, as those are the things you will remember most. • Don’t have your bachelor/bachelorette party the night before your wedding, as you need to be rested and ready for your long day ahead. • We should have listened to our travel advisor and booked our excursions before we left for our honeymoon, as we didn’t get to do some of the activities we wanted beacuse they were sold out when we arrived. • Party favors at your reception are nice, but not required. If you decide you must give something away, make it something easy. You don’t want to be up until the wee hours of the morning before your wedding preparing them. • Ask your photographer to take more pictures of the guests and everyone enjoying the wedding, as we had so many of us and the wedding party and hardly any of our friends and family. • Our photos were amazing, but I wish we would have also paid for a videographer to really capture the emotion of the day. Gareth Davies Photography • I would have created a honeymoon registry with our travel advisor to help cover the costs of our trip, which would have also allowed us to upgrade our flights and our room to a suite.